Mary Frances Gettrust graduated from the New York School of Art (later, Parsons School of Design) in 1939 with a diploma in Costume Design and Illustration, and served as an instructor of Costume Illustration at Parsons in the 1940s. The collection consists of a partial student notebook of costume sketches, printed samples of Gettrust's work as a fashion illustrator, correspondence from Parsons Alumni Association, and Parsons-related ephemera.